Sorry about that I'm totally having sunshine withdrawals, and the short days leaves me a limited amount of time to take decent looking photos of food.

I just keep telling myself 2 more months and we will hopefully be back to 60 degrees days on occasion.

I'm hopeful my back will finally be closer to normal so I can be up to my elbows in dirt planting lettuce, broccoli, sweet peas and lots of zucchini. Oh how I miss thee....

Anyways here's how I make Crockpot Beef Vegetable Barley Soup:

I used fresh thyme and rosemary because I happened to have some left over from Christmas but dried would work equally well.

Just to note I did use high quality Organic Beef Broth.. I know some of you might be disappointed in my choice but since the car accident a lot of things have had to give and most of it's come down to how much time I can spend on my feet.

Colt's been doing a lot of the cooking for the last 6 months with some guidance so we've had to cut a few corners here and there for both of our sanities.

But if you happen to have Homemade Beef Stock by all means add it! If not I can post a recipe at a later date or send you rough directions for how I make mine.

I'm going out of town for a bit and want to make some yummy soups for my husband to just heat up and eat. Beef barley is one that I know he will love and this recipe sounds perfect. Thank you for all your great recipes - I sure enjoy reading your blog and yes, I do love your sense of humor!!!

Serena, there's nothing wrong with good purchased stock. Actually, for most people that's more reality :) Your soup looks wonderful and I love that it comes together so easy in the slow cooker. It sounds perfect for these chilly days. I live in NC and they're predicting snow next week, almost unheard of here!! It's definitely soup time!

I went to a girls school when I was a kid and they made the most wonderful beef and barley soup. It might be only in my memory but it was the best food I'd ever put in my mouth. I haven't tried to make it for years - I think I'll try yours and see how it goes. It looks wonderful!

About Me

Hi! My name is Serena and welcome to Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch! I'm a wife, and mother to 3. A few of my favorite things are cooking, baking, dark chocolate, family game nights, and the ocean. My biggest dislike is lima beans, please don't ask for a recipe... My husband Colt regularly joins me in the kitchen and has become the primary photographer of our site. I hope you'll join us on our fun cooking adventure!